So our friends lost their sweet setter Pete today. He and some other dogs surprised a black bear while on a hike. Pete bravely protected the rest of the crew who got to safety. Pete later succumbed to his injuries. He was an older guy and went out a true hero. RIP PETE THE HERO! pic.twitter.com/a3W5q9DHbc

The post continued: "He held on like a real trooper the whole time, and he was never alone in his pain. The x-rays revealed some pretty bad spinal damage that would mean he could never walk again, if he survived all the surgeries (not a certain thing at his age).

"We decided it was best to let him go this afternoon.

"Run free Pete, you no longer have all those aches and pains of old age. You had a great 18 months with us running the days away like you loved."

"My husband and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love for #petethehero. He was a senior dog that we adopted after fostering. His actions prove that no dog is too old to be abandoned or too lost to be loved. #oesr #rescuedogs #rainbowbridge".